Buhari Can Order Army To Produce His Certificates If They Exist – Atiku

The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for
saying his academic certificates are with the Nigerian Army.

Replying to Buhari’s response to their petition filed before the
Election Petitions Tribunal, they said if it was true that the
certificates existed, Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces could order the army to produce them.

Atiku said he attached his academic certificates to the Form
CF001 he submitted to the Independent National Electoral
Commission.

In a joint petition filed on March 18, the former Vice-President
and his party urged the tribunal to declare them the authentic
winner of the February 23 presidential election, insisting Buhari
did not possess the educational qualifications he claimed to have
in his INEC Form CF001.

They said in the reply filed on April 15 by their legal team,
led by Dr Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), that having not been able to attach
his academic certificates to INEC Form CF001, Buhari had falsely
claimed that his certificates were in the custody of the Nigerian
Army.

The joint reply filed by Atiku and the PDP read in part, “In
further response to paragraph 381(iv) of the 2nd respondent’s
reply, aver that the petitioners have no knowledge of any
certificates or alleged qualifications issued to the 2nd respondent
(Buhari), but contend that 2nd respondent falsely represented that
his certificates are in the custody of the Nigerian Army when the
2nd respondent by his own admission is the Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“In further response to paragraph 381(iv) of the 2nd
respondent’s reply, the petitioners aver that the 2nd respondent as
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria could easily
order the Army Secretary to produce the certificates allegedly
submitted if they actually exist.

“Contrary to paragraph 381(i-iv) of the 2nd respondent’s reply,
the petitioners aver that the 2nd respondent does not possess the
educational qualification he claimed to have in his INEC Form CF001
submitted to the 1st respondent (INEC) having not been attached as
required.”

The petitioners also stated that “the purported training and
courses”, which Buhari claimed placed him “head and shoulders
above” Atiku regarding educational qualifications to contest the
presidential election, “did not culminate in the issuance of any
certificates he claimed in his INEC Form CF001”.

They also described Buhari’s claim of being head and shoulders
above Atiku as “erroneous”.

Responding to Buhari’s allegation that Atiku didn’t have the
statutory educational qualifications to contest the polls, the
petitioners stated that the ex-VP attached his educational
qualifications to his Form CF001 submitted to INEC.

Insisting Atiku was qualified to contest election for the
office, the petitioners stated that Buhari was unable to present
any certificates because he did not possess any “as he falsely
claimed”.

They stated, “In reply to paragraph 383 of the 2nd respondent’s
reply, the petitioners aver that the 1st petitioner (Atiku) is
eminently qualified to contest election to the office of the
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and had indeed
attached evidence of his educational qualifications to his INEC
Form CF001 submitted to the 1st respondent, unlike the 2nd
respondent (Buhari) who did not attach evidence of the
qualifications he claimed in his INEC Form CF001 because he does
not possess them as he falsely claimed.”

INEC, Buhari, and the All Progressives Congress (Buhari’s party)
are the 1st to the 3rd respondents to the petition.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the petition by the
tribunal.

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